EPILOGUE #2
Maddox presses a hard kiss to Easton’s cheek. “Only one man he’s rubbing against, thank you very much.”
A series of dings echoes around us, and we all share a grin before we whip out our phones.
There’s a message in our group chat, and we all know who it’s from. There’s only one of us not here.
Trent
Congratulations, Olander. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you in person. What you did out there…that was big.
My heart squeezes. I know he’s not talking about the World Series.
Me
Thanks, Trent. You just rest up, so you’re ready to go next season. You can congratulate me in person when I’m back for the Halloween party.
Michaels
What are you doing up, young man?! I’ll be having a word with a certain clubby for slacking on watching over you!
Barnes
That’s probably why he’s still up. Bet a certain clubby was watching over him with extra “care”.
Michaels
Well, that’s all wrong, Madz. Nothing should still be up. At least not if Aiden’s doing it correctly. Does he need to be added to our sex tips chat?
Easton and I snicker.
Trent
On that note, I’m actually going to bed this time.
We all type out goodnights and see you laters. It’s amazing how close we’ve all stayed. I still can’t believe everyone flew out here to cheer me on.
My gaze snags on Jed, leaning casually against the island, arms crossed over his massive chest. His lips are curled into a small smile, and he nods to me.
I walk up to him, and we clasp hands.
“Congrats, Jackson.” His attention flickers over my shoulder for a moment, and I know exactly who he was looking at. “A big night for you. How do you feel?”
My nose stings, and I swallow hard. “Free,” I say hoarsely.
Jed’s dark eyes glisten, almost like the stoic, stone-like man himself is getting teary eyed.
My phone vibrates in my pocket with a phone call. I’m not surprised at all to see Chuck’s name on the screen. I send Jed an apologetic smile. “Chuck. Think we have some things to discuss.”
Jed nods. He hesitates, then says, “Could I join you for the call?”
I blink. “Oh. Uh, yeah. Sure.”
I’d gladly get his input and advice too.
I give Frankie a quick kiss and let him know I’m going to chat with my agent. He gives my arm a good-luck squeeze, then Jed and I disappear into the room on the first floor that we converted into an office space for Frankie.
I call Chuck back and put him on speaker.
He picks up on the second ring. “Congratulations, Jackson.”
I smile at the phone. “Thanks, Chuck. It’s surreal. I have Jed with me, by the way. You’re on speakerphone.”
“Hey, Jed.” There’s a slight surprise in his tone. “Does that mean some Clippers are there celebrating with you?”
“Yeah, my boys made it out to watch our two home games. They’re all staying here, and it’s been pure chaos.”
Beautiful, amazing chaos.
He chuckles. “I bet.” He clears his throat. “As much as I wanted to wish you congratulations, I’m sure you know that’s not my only reason for calling.”
“Yeah, kind of went rogue out on the field.”
“You did. But I think it was perfect, Jackson. I’ve already been in contact with Liam and Layla.
They have a ton of great videos and photos they’re going to incorporate into your article.
Obviously, pictures of you and Frankie, but also with your entire team embracing the two of you.
Berkeley’s support is clear, and that will be a great addition to your piece. ”
There’s a pause, and the weight in it has me shifting on my feet.
“As positive as all this is, there is going to be backlash. I would recommend not going on social media. Not reading articles. Preserve your peace, okay? Something this big is going to take a while to blow over. I’ll get moving on contacting places for interviews, and we’ll start coaching you on what to say. ”
Jed clears his throat.
“Go ahead, Jed,” Chuck says.
“Would it be helpful if Jackson wasn’t the only one? To…take some of the heat off.”
My gaze whips to Jed.
Chuck hums, and I can picture him running his hand over his jaw. “That’s interesting, Jed.”
I study Jed, but he’s unreadable.
“You don’t have to do that,” I say quietly.
“The press doesn’t bother me. I grew up with eyes on me. My time is coming soon anyway. Not sure how much longer I have it in me to wait until I put a ring on that finger and make sure the entire world knows Shane belongs to me.”
My eyes go wide. Well, then.
“If it would help, I’m happy to do it now.” His eyes bore into mine. “You shouldn’t have to do this alone.”
“I do agree. A united front, especially with two supportive franchises in the mix, adds a lot of weight,” Chuck says thoughtfully. “I’ll call the Jetties. Do they know about Shane yet?”
Jed shakes his head. “No.”
“Go get him.”
Jed slips out of the room to grab Shane.
“What are you thinking, Chuck?”
“I think if you all came out, it would completely change the landscape of this sport. All it takes is one. But two Major League ballplayers coming out? One a son’s legend? And then a minor leaguer who’s a step from The Show too… This could be huge, Jackson.”
“Maybe inspire others.”
“Exactly. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and pretend like it’ll be a fairy tale.
It is not the norm to have such supportive organizations backing you.
I see what happens behind the scenes, and I have witnessed my fair share of trades because a clubhouse finds out their player is gay or queer.
Of course, they never spin it that way, and it leaves us with very little to fight.
But this will go a long way in bringing about change in this sport.
The more we can call out those who are homophobic and bigoted, the smaller and less powerful their voices get.
We drown them out by standing louder together. ”
“Whatttup!” Shane comes barreling into the room. “Y’all needed some Shaney-babe?”
Jed snakes his arms around Shane’s middle and tucks Shane to his chest. He dips his mouth to Shane’s ear. “Easy, Sunshine.”
Shane instantly settles. It never ceases to amaze me the way Jed grounds Shane. And the way Shane breathes life into Jed.
“Hi, Shane. Chuck here.”
Shane grins. “Chuck, my fellow golden bro! How’s it hanging?”
“It’s hanging…well.” The restrained laughter is evident in Chuck’s voice. “We’re discussing Jackson having just come out on national television.”
Shane jumps in Jed’s arms. “Yasss! It was beautiful.” He looks up at Jed over his shoulder. “Wasn’t it beautiful? Like The Notebook level romantic. Not a dry eye in the house after that.”
Chuck’s laugh rings through the speaker, and I just shake my head at the bonkers-ness that is Shane.